A History of Nutrition

Prehistory

From the very earliest days of civilization, nutrition has formed the backbone of healthcare. Obtaining and eating food consumed most of early human’s time, and food and herbs were our first medicine, used to treat a large number of conditions ranging from wounds and insect bites to infection. It became clear that food had powerful healing effects, and that a varied diet, rich in natural ingredients, was a prerequisite for good health. From that time, diet became a fundamental part of most therapies, and an integral element in almost all of the others.

18th Century

In the 18th century, English sailors were given lime or lemon juice in order to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C, which occurred as a result of long periods of time away at sea without fresh fruit or vegetables.

19th Century

In the late 19th century, naturopaths drew attention to the use of food and its nutritional elements as medicine, a concept that was not new, but which had not been acknowledged as a therapy in its own right until that time. Naturopaths used nutrition and fasting to cleanse the body, and to encourage its ability to heal itself. As knowledge about food, its makeup, and the effects it ahs on our body became greater with the development of biochemistry, the first nutritional specialists undertook to treat specific ailments and symptoms with the components of food.

20th century

By the middle of the 20th century, scientists had put together a profile of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals, which were essential to life and to health. More than 40 nutrients were uncovered, including 13 vitamins. It was discovered that minerals were needed for body functions, and a new understanding of the body and its biochemistry fed the growing interest in the subject. In the 1960s, physicians began to treat patients with special diets and supplements, prescribed according to individual symptoms, problems, and needs, but while conventional medical physicians still discussed nutrition in terms of basic food groups, nutritionists were prescribing vitamins in megadoses. Other elements and compounds were soon identified as necessary to human life, and we are now able to purchase and take substances like amino acids; bee pollen; lipids, such as evening primrose oil and cod liver oil; and seaweeds, acidophilus (healthy bacteria), and dietary enzymes.

Maintain a Balanced Diet

You know it’s important to eat healthfully. Making poor food choices or eating poor combinations of foods can result in your body producing too much or too little insulin, which can cause fatigue, irritability weight again, low blood sugar, and eventually, even Type 2 diabetes. There are three sources we derive energy from: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Most North Americans get close to 60 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, most of which are simple carbohydrates that break down too rapidly and cause the pancreas to overload the blood with insulin. This leads to the body storing excess fat. Instead, dine on high-fiber complex carbohydrates that require the body to work harder to break down and don’t overload your system with sugar.

Protein is essentially the anti-carbohydrate. The digestion of protein stimulates the release of glucagon, which causes the body to release stored carbohydrates in the liver and give the brain blood sugar, which decreases fogginess and irritability.

The final key components to a healthy diet are essential fats. They slow down the entry of carbohydrates into the bloodstream and help you to feel full.

You should aim to receive 45 to 65 percent of your calories from healthy carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent from lean protein, and 25 to 35 percent from essential fats. To achieve this type of hormonally balanced meal, include selections from the following three sections:

Energy-dense carbohydrates: whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits that contain fiber

High-quality protein: fish, poultry, lean meats, soy, tofu and low-fat dairy products

Essential fats in small quantities: olive oil, avocados, and nuts

Take supplements - like USANA Vitamins

Learn How to Read Fat Content Labeling

Food labeling will definitely help you identify fat content, but you need to understand the rules of labeling to rally know if what you are reading is an accurate reflection of the item’s fat content. According to U.S. government regulations, foods containing less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving are called fat-free, which sound great. If, however, you eat three or four servings, trace fat content adds up. Also, the more generic labels give 3 grams of ft or less per serving the title low-fat. Products containing at least 25 percent less fat than the original version earn the title reduced fat.

Understand Fats

The food science that centers around fat is simple. Fats are simply chains of carbon molecules bonded with hydrogen molecules and attached to a glycerol molecule. There are three kinds of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. These terms define the type of bonds that the carbon molecules form with one another and with the hydrogen molecules.

Carbon molecules can bond with four other molecules in various formations. In saturated fats, all the carbon molecules are singly bonded to each other and with two hydrogen molecules. In monounsaturated fats, one of the carbon-to-carbon bonds is a double bond without two hydrogen molecules. In polyunsaturated fats, there are two or more double-bonded carbon molecules.

When hydrogen is introduced into a polyunsaturated fat, the hydrogen molecules begin to bond with the double-bonded carbon molecules. If they line up on the same side of the chain, the configuration is called cis. If the hydrogen molecules line up on opposite sides of the chain, the configuration is called trans. Heat and pressure force the hydrogen molecules to line up in the trans configuration.

In the cis configuration, which is the natural form of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, the positioning of the hydrogen molecules makes a kink in the chain. As a result, they cannot pack closely together, so the fat will remain liquid at room temperature. In the trans configuration, the hydrogen molecules pair up on opposite sides of the carbon molecules. This positioning straightens out the chain, so the molecules pack closely together, making a fat that is solid or semisolid at room temperature.

Unlike fiber-filled foods that move quickly through your system, 95 percent of consumed fat is absorbed into your body. This high absorption rate means that almost every bit of fat that you eat stays with you, causing weight gain and a slow metabolism if you eat more than your body can handle.